Hello! I'm a general practitioner from Costa Rica. I just graduated a month ago from the biggest university here in our country. I've been exploring the posibility of getting a residency in the USA. I've read a lot about the USMLE, the ECFMG and the whole process. I'm really into taking a chance but it seems like a really complicated and tedious process and I can't help getting scared!

My first residency option is Pediatrics Oncology. I've look up for all the fellowships across the country and it seems to me that in order to get it you should first get you're pediatrics residency in a really good and big university based program. I get this feeling by looking at the actual fellows profiles. So... I wanted to ask you if, in your experience, is it possible to get that fellowship or is it out of range for me? Asumming I get the best USMLE scores and an observership in a good place... What would you recomend me to do in order to find out if the universities which offers the fellowship are IMG friendly? Do you know anything about that? How can I apply for an observership, where do you recomend me to go? My mom lives in San Francisco, an aunt lives in Chicago and I have another aunt who lives in NY.

Another option I have is to get my pediatrics residency here in Costa Rica and then apply for the fellowship. Is that possible or fellowships are reserved just for US graduates? If I'm planning to come back to my country to make my practice, do I have to go through the same procces and get the same requirements than if I would stay in USA and practice there? Can I expect a possibility of staying working there after finishing the fellowship?

As you can see, I have a lot of doubts that I need to clarify in order to decide what to do from now on, and I think ther's no better way of doing this than asking someone with experience and who understands the procces better than I do... I would really really really appreciate any advice or guidence you can give me.

Just one last question, we have tha kaplan courses here in Costa Rica, my plan is to start the prep course for Step 1 next June, and then make the test next Jan. Do you recommend me to prepare with Kaplan? Or is it enough to study the FA, the kaplan lectures and doing Qbanks?